SUBJECT : Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE : Annual Program Statement (APS) NFO NUMBER : 72049219APS00001 CFDA NUMBER : 98.001 ISSUANCE DATE : April 15, 2019 CLOSING DATE FOR QUESTIONS : April 26, 2019, 3:00PM PhST (PhilippineStandard Time) ISSUANCE DATE OF AMENDMENT #2 : June 10, 2019 CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS : See specific Addendum/s issued under this APS. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as authorized by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, uses a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO), in the form of an Annual Program Statement (APS), when it intends to support a variety of creative approaches towards developing methodologies to assess and implement development objective activities. The USAID Mission in the Philippines is seeking applications from qualified U.S. and non-U.S. organizations for its Project entitled “Initiatives for Democracy” which has four (4) programming areas—human rights, media, elections and political participation, and local governance. This APS presents the objectives of Initiatives for Democracy, the overall context, critical background information, guiding principles, evaluation criteria, process, and submission requirements. USAID will issue separate Addendums to this APS to describe a programming area’s specific objectives, expected results, funding, ceilings, detailed technical information and other requirements. USAID intends to award a cooperative agreement for each Addendum issued. This APS will be posted on Grants.gov, www.grants.gov. All Addendums will likewise be separately posted on Grants.gov. This APS is open to all interested, eligible organizations, i.e., non-governmental organizations,academic organizations, consortia, for profit organizations, [1] etc. See Section C of the APS for eligibility. The partner selection process is described in Section E of the APS. Based on the selection process, USAID will determine the Apparently Successful Applicant (ASA) who will be considered for award. The ASA will be responsible for ensuring the achievement of the Project’s program objectives. Subject to the availability of funds, an award of a cooperative agreement will be made to the responsible organization whose application best meets the objectives of the specific Addendum. While one award is anticipated under each Addendum, USAID reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications that were received. For the purposes of this APS, the term “cooperative agreement” is synonymous with “grant”, “recipient”is synonymous with “grantee”, and “Agreement Officer (AO)” is synonymous with“Grant Officer (GO).” Prior to submitting an application, applicants are encouraged to thoroughly read this APS and the specific Addendum/s of their interest, in order to understand the types of interventions sought, the application process, the submission requirements and the evaluation process. To be eligible for an award, applicants must provide all information required in this APS and the Addendum/s, and must meet eligibility standards. This APS, all Addendum/s,and all amendments (if any), will be posted on Grants.gov. USAID encourages potential applicants to regularly check the website to ensure they have the latest information pertaining to this APS and the Addendums. If applicants have difficulty accessing the funding opportunity, please contact the Grants.gov Helpdesk at 1-800-518-4726 or via email at
[email protected] for technical assistance. Any questions regarding this APS, its amendments (if any), subsequent Addendums and their amendments(if any), must be submitted by email to
[email protected] no later than the date stated on page 1 of this letter. Relevant responses to APS questions will be posted under the APS at www.grants.gov. Relevant responses to Addendums will be posted under each specific Addendum, also at www.grants.gov. Issuance of this APS does not constitute an award commitment on the part of USAID nor does it commit USAID to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of applications. In addition, any resultant award in response to the Addendums ofthis APS cannot be made until funds have been fully appropriated, allocated and committed through internal USAID procedures. While it is anticipated that these procedures will be successfully completed, potential applicants are hereby notified of these requirements and conditions for award. Thank you for your interest in the Democracy programs of USAID/Philippines. Sincerely, Sandra Jansen Agreement Officer Regional Office of Acquisition and Assistance [1] A for-profit organization is eligible if it foregoes its profit or fee.